After spending our first night in Ghent (great town, by the way), the next morning the Beercycling crew was headed north to Brouwerij Van Steenberge. In a trip filled with behind the scenes access to brewers and brewery owners, this one may have taken the cake. The father-in-law of the current owner gave us the least safe, most in-the-machinery tour of the trip, and we drank beer with the owner, all of which made for a truly unique experience. More about that soon enough....

Up close and real personal, taken from inside the bottling line

In the tasting room, our first pour was the Augustijn Blonde, which had a bright blonde hue and puffy, lingering white head. There are aromas of Belgian yeast, and the taste gives you a nice malt sweetness, with notes of grain and apple, and a good mild hop balance. Easy drinking, flavorful, and refreshing. Everything you want in a beer. There is a long tradition of Augustinian friars brewing beer in the area of Ghent, stretching back to the 13th century. In 1978, the brewery acquired a popular recipe from the friars; hence the Augustijn name.

Blondes... always good

Due to some legal mumbo jumbo, this beer is being released in America under a different name; be on the lookout for bottles of St. Stefanus hitting shelves in stores near you.

Thing to Think About Today:
Yes, I dropped a Counting Crows reference in this post title. You don't get that here, I regret to inform you. As August(ijn) turns to September, sweater weather is soon to follow. The other song currently rolling around in my head: Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood. Hey, it's a close of a connection as I can make, and I fully admit it's not a great one.